1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary aspects of the present invention generally relate to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus that includes handles for facilitating transport of the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
An image forming apparatus, such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copier, a multi-functional system including any combination thereof is known. Such an image forming apparatus is equipped with an image forming unit dedicated to performing image formation.
Upon installation and/or maintenance, the image forming apparatus may have to be moved to a different location. In general, the image forming apparatus tends to be relatively heavy, so that handles are commonly provided thereto to facilitate transport of the image forming apparatus.
Such handles include one that is provided to a wall of a main body housing of the image forming apparatus and can be folded in and out from its original position upon transport.
Another known handle is provided such that the handle can be pulled out from inside the main body housing to outside thereof and retracted to its storage position inside the main body housing.
The latter type of the handle is disclosed in JP-2005-91946-A, for example. This type of handle is provided such that the handle can be pulled out from and retracted to its storage position in a slanting manner at a predetermined angle relative to the wall of the image forming apparatus.
Further, in another known method according to JP-2006-106280-A, a handle may be pulled out from and retracted to its storage position vertically relative to the wall of the main body housing.
Generally, the image forming apparatus include components such as image forming devices and waste toner bottles that need to be discarded or replaced with a new one at the proper time. Thus, as disclosed in JP-H07-261620-A, in order to facilitate maintenance of these components to be replaced or discarded, these components are usually disposed in a front side of the image forming apparatus so that an operator can perform maintenance with ease.
At the same time, reduction in overall size is expected of the image forming apparatus because installation space for the image forming apparatus in offices is often limited. Consequently, components are most likely to be arranged close to each other in the image forming apparatus, and thus it is often the case that it is difficult to provide extra space for those parts, such as the handle for transport, that are not directly associated with image forming operations.
When the handle that facilitates transport of the image forming apparatus is provided therein, it is desirable that a length by which the handle can be pulled out from the main body housing be relatively large so as to reduce the weight load on the operator due to moment of the length.
When, for example, a duplex unit (or a sheet reverse unit) that reverses a recording sheet on which an image has been printed on one side is provided to the wall of the image forming apparatus, that is, the same wall on which the handle is provided, the amount by which the handle can be pulled out needs to be greater than an amount by which the duplex unit projects.
In such a case, the handle needs to be relatively long, necessitating a larger space for accommodating the handle in the image forming apparatus.
According to the related art approach disclosed in JP-2005-91946-A, there is a problem in that the size of image forming apparatus is difficult to reduce, because, in addition to an advancing/retracting space on a horizontal plane, a space in a lateral direction allowing the handle to move obliquely is also needed, thereby complicating efforts to make the image forming apparatus as a whole as compact as is usually desired.
By contrast, according to JP-2006-106280-A, the handle advances and retracts at substantially the bottom of the duplex unit in the direction perpendicular to the width direction of the duplex unit that covers substantially an entire surface of the wall of the main body housing in the width direction thereof.
However, with this configuration, the operator needs to bend his or her back in order to pull out and retract the handle from substantially the bottom of the duplex unit which is generally tall in height, thereby complicating transport of the image forming apparatus for the operator.
Further, when the parts or devices that need to be replaced or discarded are disposed substantially at the front side of the image forming apparatus, that is, the side facing the operator, the handle may interfere with the parts or devices including image forming devices if the handle is provided to the front side of the image forming apparatus, thereby complicating efforts to secure the installation space for the handle.
In particular, when the image forming apparatus is equipped with the duplex unit, the wall of the main body housing at which the duplex unit is disposed weighs more than the wall without the duplex unit. Thus, it is desirable to install the handle in such a way that the handle can reliably support the weight of the duplex unit.
However, as described above, the installation location for the handle must not interfere with replacement or disposal of the parts or devices installed at the front side of the image forming apparatus.
When the image forming apparatus includes the duplex unit, generally, the duplex unit is detachably provided relative to the wall of the main body housing so as to solve problems such as paper jams in the duplex unit. For example, according to JP-2006-106280-A, the duplex unit is openable about a shaft provided at a lower part of the main body housing in the direction of the height thereof. With this structure, in which the handle is provided in the vicinity of the lower part of the duplex unit, the operator can still hold the handle even if the duplex unit is opened.
However, in a case in which the amount by which the handle is pulled out from the main body housing is configured based on an assumption that the handle is pulled out when the duplex unit is closed, when a problem occurs and the duplex unit needs to be moved while the duplex unit is opened, the weight balance, in particular, the weight balance of the side at which the duplex unit is disposed will be different from the initial weight balance when the duplex unit is closed, thereby causing too much stress on the handle and possible damage to the handle.
In addition, when the duplex unit is accidentally opened and closed due to shock during transport of the image forming apparatus, the duplex unit may accidentally hit a hand of the operator, thereby preventing smooth transport operation.
As described above, the handles bear substantially an entire weight of the image forming apparatus. Consequently, during transport of the image forming apparatus, the handles may deform due to the weight. Thus, it is desirable that the handle have a rigid structure.
However, when the handle has a solid cross section in order to increase sectional stiffness thereof, the weight load of the handle itself increases, thereby necessitating the main body housing to have a rigid structure that can facilitate the weight load of the handle, and thus complicating the configuration and increasing the weight of the image forming apparatus as a whole.